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Of Sin, Siti and small-minded men without sagacity

By Martin Jalleh

Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood is a well-known Islamic motivator on local television and a popular TV personality, with Semanis Kurma on TV9 and Astro being her biggest hit.

As a famous personality, one would expect her to have all the facts on her fingertips in her efforts to educate, motivate and even propagate her faith! Surely her experience as a professional motivator would teach her that you can’t motivate people by humiliating others!

Recently, she decided to discourage Muslim youth from celebrating Valentine’s Day. It is actually quite a noble effort. I too do not believe in V’s Day (Catholic though I be) and I think it is tragic to have to say “I love you” only once a year and with a blooming rose that costs a bomb!

But I have no problem with the rest of the world who are caught up by the commercialization of love and romance (though now its extended to more than just a celebration of lovebirds) and are ready to pay a crazy and costly sum, probably to make up for their neglect of 364 days in the year!

V’s Day has become a day when, love is blind, the florists flourish, and hotels and restaurants reap roaring profits by holding the ridiculous! It has no religious significance whatsoever! As for those who wish to unleash their lust on V Day, VD (a different kind of rose) might await them!

Sadly, Siti’s ignorance showed when she, in an RTM programme last week, linked V’s Day to Christianity and immoral activities. She said “immoral activities, partying and unmarried couples associating in private are traditions of the Christian community”!

Surprisingly, as a motivator, Siti is glaringly show of understanding. V’s Day is not a Christian tradition and all Christian traditions and tenets do not condone, in fact abhor “immoral activities”, and “unmarried couples associating in private”.

If only Siti would sit quietly and ponder she will realize that vice and virtue lie in the adherents of every faith and there is really no need of making a scapegoat of other religions and insulting them for the sins of the people of her own faithful!

A Christian Conspiracy to Corrupt Muslims?

The Malaysian Insider reported on 11 Feb. 2011 that both the KL Islamic Department (Jawi) and Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) have banned Muslims from celebrating V’s Day, calling it “a Christian tradition” in a Friday sermon delivered in mosques on that day.

Alas, if Jawi, Jais or Jakim want to reduce themselves into one big Joke, it is really none of our business, but claiming that V’s Day is a Christian tradition and inferring that it is part of a Christian conspiracy to “corrupt” Muslims, is to say but the least, a jaundiced view…very unislamic indeed!

The sermon continued with its slanderous spree: “Remember that the Jews and Christians would continue to deceive Muslims. They will do everything to undermine the Muslims’ belief and personality”!

Prepared by the Selangor’s Islamic authority, the sermon also said that V’s Day “is celebrated in many ways, starting with greeting cards, flowers and dance parties. In fact some celebrate it with a date which would eventually lead to illicit sex”!

What about the illicit sex that takes place on non-Valentine Days? Who is to be blamed? What about the sex scandals committed by Members of Parliament, Ministers and a host of people in high places….were they all committed on V”s Day? Were they the result of a conspiracy by the Jews and Christians?

Jais caused quite a jolt when it pointed out that there were 257,411 births out of wedlock between 2000 and 2008 and blamed V’s Day celebrations as one of the causes. You mean to say nine V’s Days could produce 257, 411 births? Is this what Najib’s model of moderate Islam is all about?

Not only are they insulting the Christians but they are so condescending in how they view the Muslims in Bolehland – who have in recent times been portrayed as people who are so very easily confused, convinced, converted and corrupted! But then again, we are told that is none of our business.

It appears that Siti, Jawi, Jais and Jakim need to do a lot of soul searching. Surely the strength of Islam does not lie in creating a “siege mentality” and in their ignorance, insulting other religions.

The different faiths in this country are often faced with many similar challenges which could be more easily overcome if we were to synergise our earnest efforts rather than creating slurs and suspicions on the supposed salacious conspiracies of other religions to turn young Muslims into sex fiends!

May I wish Jawi, Jais and Jakim Happy Anti-Valentine’s Day! And to those who celebrate it in a big way, Happy Valentine’s Day – whatever it means!

To PAS Youth, instead of conducting “immorality checks” on V’s Day in opposition-ruled states, why not take a break from politics and be romantic enough to spend precious time with your beloved under the moon, always conscious that God is watching you from a distance!

To the Muslims who really want to celebrate V’s Day but cannot as a result of the recent ban, please do not be angry but in keeping with the spirit of the day, send a rose to Siti, Jawi, Jais and Jakim – unless the rose is deemed by them as a Christian flower used to seduce Muslims into immorality!

(13 Feb. 2011)

61 Replies to “Of Sin, Siti and small-minded men without sagacity”

  2. In thus Bolehland, we shall have such shallow minds trying to indoctrinate others! maybe the programme is not meant for the general public but only those already indoctrinated into one way traffic thinking? Alos, we arew wasting time and space to discuss such ‘talks’ which may earn her some money, that is all; no consequence on thinking people!

    1. To have or not to have sex out of wedlock is up to your own principles. You can be a great man of God but when you fall, you will fall like Humpty Dumpty. Only you alone with your convictions and your thoughts can safeguard you. Nothing else can. No one else can. Not even God. Of course, Satan will be so happy. Then again, you cannot blame him all the time if you choose it yourself. Samson and Delilah.

  5. Valentine’s Day is much ado about nothing to the practical & prosaic. For those two timing it is stressful how to spend same day with both. Some feel exploited by blatant commercialization of Feb14th. Those in florist, perfume, and chocolate and eatery business look forward to it. Conservative Islamic cleric will question it is day of excuse for promiscuous activities. And even it were for love and not lust why choose a single day? In Islam, a husband loves his wife throughout the year, and he expresses that love towards her with gifts, in verse and in prose, in letters and in other ways, throughout the years – not just on one day of the year. Otherwise that one day of affection could be used as a sorry excuse (to assuage guilt) for 364 days of neglect or indifference!

    Today St Valentine may be celebrated by people of all faiths or no faith looking or a reason or a day to commemorate their affection. There is nothing wrong with that. However it is difficult to deny that Saint Valentine was (historically) one of the Christian saints of ancient Rome for which legend has it that he was martyred for the cause of love.

    The argument that in a world full of hate and discord Valentine’s day should be embraced by all cultures as greater symbol of love and affection will not go down with religious hardliners. This celebration is identified at least historically with a Christian saint. Even if not – since it is by now accepted by many non Christians – it is still identified with Western or at least secular values and customs. To conservative clerics it is forbidden to celebrate the festivals or observances of non-Muslims. In terms of values they don’t even tolerate unmarried couples walking and showing affection in public parks. They like to exert social control and discipline. They don’t like faithful to exercise freedom especially in favour of pleasure and joy instead of duty and restraint. To a certain extent this seems to be the worldview of very religious people, especially cleric priests an so on (varying in degree). It is not just PAS Islamic hardliners going after couples on St Valentine Day in a number of PR Northern states Kedah, Penang and Kelantan to reduce what Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi, head of the Islamic PAS Party’s youth wing calls “immoral acts”. In Bangalore India members of the Sri Rama Sena, a far-right Hindu group whose professed mission is to protect Indian culture from the perceived threats of cultural Westernization and conversion from Hinduism, is planning violent action against couples thought to be celebrating Valentine’s Day in public.

    Traditional religions (especially Abrahamic faith traditions) view sex as a duty within marriage meant for procreation as prescribed in the sacred books. Secular liberal western values allowing more freedom of individuals based on sex being a recurrent biological imperative is viewed as immoral and decadent and an avenue for expression of affection that can easily cross the boundary to sex (outside strict marital context) is prohibited. St Valentine is skewed by them to be a legitimate excuse for such illicit expression.

  6. I have always discouraged my children to celebrate father…mother or valentine days….as love is not for just one day of the year.
    But all can be taken as reminders what to do for the whole year..to have LOVE constantly and faithfully…be it for parents or for a lover….a soul mate…a best friend.
    I do admire Siti’s brave comment…but at the wrong place with a wrong country where religion and race issues are so sensitively drummed up by UMNO B dirty politics.
    For that…he got what is coming to her…as she ..being a Muslim…should know…we have enough of nonsense by racists Muslims….that seems to ignore totally on corruptions and race issues…yet teach others what to do.

  7. In the past such an issue of St Valentine Day was never raised today.

    Today is a contest of whether Malaysian society remaining open or inreasingly trurning to a closed one.

    It is unfortunately increasingly being closed as religious hardliners take away more and more of individual liberties and choices all in the name of religion.

    One of the reasons why a secular government is advocated is to prevent government being grasped by religious hardliners whose main object is to impose more and more social control and discipline amongst the faithful in order to bolster their own influence and power base. They are encouraged by politicians who support them for their own political motives.

    When Martin Jalleh speaks up they will question whether he is a Muislim to speak on such matters.

    The problem cuts across political divide. PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi wants to conduct “immorality checks” on V’s Day in opposition-ruled states. How does it help PR’s cause?

    It is good that the UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin joined to say that it was all right to observe the special day. He said: ‘Yes, I’ve given my wife flowers and taken her for dinner on Valentine’s Day before. “Sometimes, we even get jiggy with it. I am still a Mohammedan,’ said Khairy in one of his tweets message on Friday.When asked why Mohammedans need to celebrate love and affection specifically on Valentine’s Day, Khairy said: ‘If people want to do it because they feel it’s a nice occasion, as long as they are not committing sin, why not? Of course you can do it anytime. That’s not the point.”

    Khairy is right but then we have the number 2 Muhyiddin who supports JAKIM by saying “We (Muslims) do not want to belittle Valentine’s Day. It is an old tradition but not appropriate from the Islamic perspective”.

    The conservative hardliners are emboldened to push unremittingly their agenda when they know they will get support from some higher up in the political power structure to say something in their favour!

  8. Siti, O Siti, nak jadi pandai pun janganlah pemikiran begitu “shallow” dan “murky” seperti longkang.

    Fikir-fikirkan dulu sebelum buka mulut yang begitu besar. Lihatlah akibat falsafah dan ajaran yang begitu kalam-kabut.

    Aiya, Siti, O Siti.

  10. Does Siti & JAKIM mean that for a Muslim man to say to his wife “I Love You” every day of the year is OK, but it is Haram to say that on Valentine’s Day??? Because by saying “I Love You” on V-day means acknowledging V-day… ???

  12. Can I have her address? I want to send her some cactus tomorrow.

    Incidentally, motivational speakers can be dangerous people and should be controlled lest they motivate and pass on wrong things and cause irreparable harm like this Siti blaming and accusing Christians based on her mistaken beliefs.

    If the owners of the TV station wishes to apologise, they should do so ‘live’ on their TV programme and pass on the correct information at the same time. But I think this is only wishful thinking.

  14. All the Abrahamic faiths based on monotheisms — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — consider sex outside marriage a sin, whether one is in love or not. The reason for this is that sex is viewed entirely for the objective of procreation, and replenishment of the earth. It is not meant for pleasure or recreation. It is a duty, a marital one.
    Sex is, in science, however a biological imperative. It is recurrent hormonal driven instinct. To repress a biological drive is not easy. The sex drive begins at puberty but it does not mean persons reaching pubescent age are necessarily ready for the responsibilities of marriage.

    It is therefore difficult to reconcile the biological and the religious. Those who give in to “sin” are giving in to what is so called natural and biological -God given- hormonal and testosterone drives – neither extremes of full unbridled expression (promiscuity) nor repression of which necessarily produce favourable results. So one has to manage that balance….

    Where a young couple have inadvertently caused conception in sex out of wedlock, it is the immediate societal pressure of sin and shame reinforced by religious dictates heaped on them that makes the boy to run away for cover and the girl to abort or dump babies in desperation.

    This is hardly an intelligent way of tackling human sexuality, a natural biological phenomenon! In fact nothing is ever that easily managed when faith is asserted as more important than practical logic and experience. The latter as evinced by rising divorce statistics shows that even being ready for responsibilities of marriage does not necessarily translate to double coincidence of both finding each other acceptable without leaving one side unrequited; and even in case of mutual choice does not mean they will live happily ever after as people do change over time. Asking to work at the marriage does not necessarily help as no one falls in love and gets married to “work” or else he or she does not have to select so hard! Again it does not help this over emphasis of sex equals to marriage and once married its equal to forever permanence of union that for many (though not all) represent more a triumph of faith over reality!

    This anti sex attitude is becoming so trenchant that it even spills over to a denouncement of Valentine’s Day as an opportunity of illicit sex leading to baby dumping. There is no logical nexus in this, and is an extremely narrow mind set. If this were the mindset that will be influential in time to come to dominate our society’s norms and practices, sex will be a thing not only of shame and sin but a matter of clandestine hypocrisy as the people portray one pious face and do the biological in hiding and private, just like the corruption. We will regress more and more into the shell and hypocrites will run the country…

  15. Small minded Siti, can only become a TV motivator in Bolehland, where meritocracy takes a backseat. She does not know her facts and is prepared to make irresponsible statements. What a poor communicator, and she made it as a TV motivator. This is Bolehland

  16. It is a fact that most corruption are committed by higher-ups in the civil service. UMNO is a party whose main existence is based on corruption (this is acknowledged by most UMNO members and leaders themselves; I don’t make up this). It is also an open secret that the royalties are also a bunch of pirates who feed on projects and handouts. The police and the top judges are corrupt to the core.

    Yet these people assiduously pray five times a day, go on annual pilgrimage to Mecca to throw stones at the devil; they are quick to condemn others of sins that they themselves committed. And they are proud as hell that they are Muslims! Prophet Muhammad must be rolling in his grave a thousand times daily for these people to shame the religion that he has propagated to be the only true path to Allah.

  17. It is so convenient and easy for Selangor Islamic authority or Jakim to blame others for the 257411 born out of wedlock promiscuity of Muslim youths between 2000 and 2008 than to have a good hard look at one’s teaching and religious practices.Worst, putting Valentine’s day as a major cause and linking it to Christian practice smack of complete ignorance.It would have been most laughable if not for the fact that this blame game on others used by Malaysian religious authority and Jakim has also influenced people like Islamic television motivator who adopted such stand to promulgate untruths!

  18. don’t blame her…. the mistake she made was to tell that it is from the Christians.

    Many unmarried Chinese couples go to sex during valentine. This is true. Many of these Chinese are not christians, but mostly Taoism. So let’s blame Lao Tze. Are we promoting sex democracy and sex freedom?

    In addition, why do we not making an effort to combat some of the Chinese social illness, such as gambling and drinking? whenever there is mentioning of regulations from Islam trying to stop gambling and drinking, Chinese parties are the first one to make noise. Do we want Chinese to become worse and worse?

    Ibans have the same problem like the Chinese – gambling and drinking. Let’s boost the moral of Chinese and Ibans.

    1. Stereotyping is wrong. Just because you wear a tudung, cover all your aurat and wear loose clothing does not mean you do no harm. Just because you let your hair loose, expose your skin and wear tight clothings does not mean you are sinful. So when did Malaysian stereotyping begin ? You must. You should. You ought to. You are required. Why should Muslim men be immoral to non Muslim women ? Shouldn’t they be more moral to non Muslim women if they think Islam saves souls ? Why ? Why ? Why ?

  19. Siti, Jawi, Jais and Jakim should not demonise other people’s religion for their own narrow agendas.

    They should not use other people’s celebrations as excuses for the failings of their own people. By hiding behind these excuses they are doing the gravest of injustices to their own kind by deliberately hiding the truth.

    Well anyway, I have just heard that we have again achieved the dubious distinction of this silly Valentine argument and ban highlighted in the Western media. It makes a mockery of the PM’s loud proclamation in the UN that the moderates should reclaim the center stage. Worse still, it drives another nail into the coffin of the FDIs.

    Siti, Jawi, Jais and Jakim, soon you will have your wish because with the loss of jobs from declining FDIs, the people will be struggling too hard to earn a living that they will lose all interest in illicit sex. Or is it the other way round? Too much free time so more time for more illicit sex? Sheesh!!

  20. pulau_sibu,

    I have absolutely no issue with your statement regarding the need to cure the social ills of gambling and drinking amongst certain races.

    However, I would still blame her for not getting her facts straight. Just because there are Christians that do not follow the teachings of Christianity is no excuse not to get the facts straight.

    Furthermore, all these talks about the need to be sensitive is pure humbug and one sided. Can you imagine what would happened if a non muslim goes on RTM and say similar nonsense about Islam?

  21. I think if we should be opened to be more willing to learn about other religions. This is the same when we say that Muslim rule will end up with potong kepala and fingers. I don’t care what to potong, if I am not the one who wanted to commit evil crimes and yet afraid of getting punishment. Sounds like those who are against the punishment have bad intention behind.

  23. why don’t people like silly siti blame their parents for their ills? to them being programmed to recite some verses and indoctrinated by btn are considered parenting done.

    other than that it is other peoples fault. 14 year old can get married to pedophile is also the fault of the Christian and Jews.
    siti better don’t drink Milo produced by nestle. it is a Christian drink. also kfc, another Christian finger licking good chicken. one can get horny licking the finger.

  24. is she the same woman who tried to ban tampons ad sometime ago? citing that tampons can cause horniness in men.
    my goodness, where are all these women being educated? in year 1211AD or what?

    1. No, it is another Siti. The politikus Siti. Not this uztazah Siti. Why Islamic schools never teach healthy sex education ? Why Islamic schools do not have a balance views of other religions ?

  25. …is she the same woman who tried to ban tampons ad sometime ago? citing that tampons can cause horniness in men.
    my goodness, where are all these women being educated? in year 1211AD or what?

  26. Ever since AirAsia flies cheapies to Australia, many Malays have travelled here for visits and makan angin. So perhaps the religious authorities of the Islamic faith should warn them that Australians (male and female) often wander around their beaches wearing next to nothing. Better still, can I get a Jais accreditation to catch the khalwat offenders? I’ll work for free, for sure!

  27. Mubarak is a foool. He should had hired Apco and come out with a slogan “1 egypt- People First- Performance Now” plus a few idiotic terms such as NEM, NKERA (national monkeys?), ETP,GTP, ect and the demonstrators would cheer, give the middle finger sign and disperse home.

  29. (meanwhile … Whodunit? … the mystery deepens …)

    “Yes. I did it. It was me all along and no one knew! Not even dr mamak himself!

    And NO you idiot. I am not a decepticon from cyberton sent to destroy planet earth. I am terminator T-2000.1 version xxx from 2020. I am part machine part human and completely indestructible. And I can turn invisible in an instance. I was sent back to 1987 by umno in 2020 to destroy the opposition. Umno, then already badly defeated and was figthing for survival, had finally resorted to buying me from the Americans in a top secret deal using the trillions they stashed away over the decades when they were in power.” dagen.

    Newsflash (back to the future): somewhere in australia, sometime in 2020, the kid of malaysian migrant parents successfully unraveled the T-2000.1 ver xxx secret software codes. Efforts are now being made to sent a patch code to the terminator in 1987 with instruction to destroy “umno”.

    … cintanegara had the nightmare of his life.

  33. Within 8 years there were 257,411 births of wedlock. They say the illicit sex took place on Valentine’s Day. Well and good.
    If true, then almost all the births would have taken place some 9 months after the couples had sex on Feb 14.
    Will the religious bigots confirm if the deliveries took place somewhere in November of each year.

    Surely, they can give birth in between March and October.

  37. 2day’s msm: Perak police r investigating d disappearance on Feb 11 of 700,000 condoms worth RM4.5mil while being transported 2 Japan
    Ha, ha, no wonder some ppl panic considering d LINK between d items stolen n VD

  38. Sex and love are two different things. You can love without the need for sex. You can sex around but you have no love for your partner. That is why there is such a thing as a marriage so that people will know the role of sex and the role of love. It is good to reduce the Valentineness but you are deadly wrong to associate Valentine with Christianity.

  39. ///The sex drive begins at puberty but it does not mean persons reaching pubescent age are necessarily ready for the responsibilities of marriage.///–Jeffrey

    The individual persons may not be ready, but the government in Malaysia is ready to get people aged 15 to be married. That helps them getting votes. The outward show of democracy is hurting this land, first with racial divide and then juvenile marriages sponsored by government.

  40. University of Florida on Velentine Day: http://grove.ufl.edu/~leo/val.html

    St. Valentine’s Day: 5th Century Rome

    It was named after Velentin, bishop of Interamna.

    We must speak truth to counter MCA rebuke about PAS. PAS is correct about this celebration. Actually we do not need to have this lovely day on this Roman calendar. We could have any day. Right?

  42. Why doesn’t she herself go for counselling ? She is burning up in her own counselling services. You all should give her chocolates, flowers and everything and tell her you love her no matter what condition she is in so that with the love felt, she would not continue to say nasty things about things which she refuse to find out more.

  43. ‘To sin’ or ‘not to sin’ does not require you to come from any religion. pulau-sibu is another nimcompoop when he ties belief to such act. You do NOT to belief in a single Creator to be act like a saint. Self discipline and knowing what you should do and what you shouldn’t do because of your up-bringing is what counts! remember, the girl who was photograped by some religious bigot when she wanted to ease herself? Many of these guys themselves would just do what they wanted to prevent publicly when no one is looking!! Of course Siti has nothing to say on such incident!

  44. Most who vest meaning in St Valentine Day – as a day for expression of affection- who probably not know how in what way St Valentine (around 496AD) became associated with romance.

    Who cares what happened a thousand years ago???

    It is not a Christian celebration of sorts. It is a commercial celebration in the best of capitalist tradition!

    The shop keepers of eateries, flowers, cholocolates and perfumes need this day to make an extra buck. The media & advertising people need it fopr same reasons. Life is doldrums and people who are consumers need a day -and an excuse- to celebrate. Never mind Valentine’s Day Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, Secretaries’ Day and maybe one day, Children’s Day etc.

    To say that that day should not be celebrated – because it will lead to immoral activities – is a stretch.

    It tantamounts to restricting people from finding an excuse to celebrate and be happy. It is a kill joy attitude abjuring life – and commerce – itself.

    Of course not all people make a big deal of it. The practical may ignore it: why spend so much a roses or dinners on that day just to make shop keepers prosperous? Why cancel work appointments just because your spouse or loved ones have their expectations raised by this commercialisation? Love is little unremembered acts shown everyday and not a grand display on 14th Feb as a sorry excuse or neglect for rest of 364 days!

    Yet for others, especially the younger, its something. So why make a big deal to denigrate and urge a boycott of this day on arguments of sin and so on? It is samll mindednmess without sagacity as suggested by the caption of this write-up!

  45. The heading should read The sin saga of Uztazah Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood. Or the saga of Uztazah Siti Nor Bahayah Mahamood on sins. The word sin is found in religious books. Sin is tied with religion. You can replace the word sin with wrongdoing, crime which are not found in religious books. Setuju. Self discipline is more important because you know the importance of disciplining yourself. When people discipline you, you might not know and understand why they should discipline you. That is why youths go haywire because you keep on preaching and keep on disciplining but they just cannot get your point because they see no point in all your preachings and disciplines. If not after all the years praying 5 times a day and multiply that, how come they still go to the hotel ? How come they still rempit ? How come they still become gangster the Malay style ? or the Iban style or the Kadazan style ? Not necessarily the Chinese style ?

  46. In response to Karpal Singh’s challenge to name the persons and place, Mamakthir said that what he said happened twenty years ago, and he implied that how could he be asked to remember what happened then. If that is the case, how correct was he to say that what he said was correct? It is clear that he only chose to remember what he wanted to remember or what convinced himself to be the truth. Hence Mamakthir’s memory cannot be trusted, and his logic is equally bad.

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